I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

Lin Chen carefully put away the promotion document and the five taels of silver reward, his expression calm.

"Let's fill the vacancies with our own men first." He said to Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi, "You two are soldiers of the C35 unit starting today. As for the remaining vacancies, let Shuanzi and Laodao fill them."

The boy, named Shuanzi, was seventeen or eighteen years old, dark-skinned and thin. He was recruited from among the refugees in the interior of China, and his eyes were somewhat timid.

Old Dao, around thirty years old, was taciturn and had half of his left ear missing. It was said that he was slashed by bandits while traveling with a caravan in his early years. Because he knew some martial arts, he was recruited into the auxiliary troops camp, and this time he was reassigned to the combat troops.

The two had met Lin Chen once before, so they were somewhat acquainted.

The next morning.

In another barracks of the patrol battalion, Wang Meng, with a face full of fierce features, was listening to his subordinate Zhou Qing's report, his face as gloomy as water.

"Sergeant? Zhang Heng certainly knows how to win people over..." Wang Meng crushed the rough ceramic teacup in his hand, shards digging into his palm, drawing blood. "Tell the men below to give our newly promoted Sergeant Lin a proper 'congratulations'!"

Before the morning exercise call had even sounded, five people had already gathered in front of the barracks of the Bingsanwu unit.

Lin Chen stood at the front, wearing a washed and polished leather armor of the patrol battalion, with the hundred-refined steel sword forged by Shi Jian at his waist.

Behind him, Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi stood on either side. Although their clothes were somewhat worn, their eyes revealed a fierce spirit that was different from the surrounding border troops, as if they had rolled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Shuanzi and Laodao stood up straight, both of them having heard of Lin Chen, the sergeant, and filled with admiration.

"From today onwards, the five of us will be Squad 3, C3." Lin Chen's gaze swept over the four men, his voice not loud but clear, "I am Squad Leader Lin Chen. Deputy Squad Leader Sun has probably already told you about the military rules, so I won't repeat them. I'll just say two points."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "First and foremost, defending our territory and killing the enemy is our duty. We cannot lose an inch of the fortified positions we are responsible for guarding. We cannot let a single enemy escape our grasp."

"Secondly," he looked at Shuanzi and Laodao, "since we're comrades, we're brothers-in-arms. On the battlefield, we can entrust our backs to each other. Normally, I don't ask about your past, and you shouldn't pry into other people's affairs. But if someone points a knife at one of their own..."

Lin Chen didn't finish speaking, but his hand gently pressed on the hilt of the knife. An invisible, cold pressure spread out.

Shuanzi instinctively shrank his neck, while Lao Dao's eyes flickered slightly, and he silently nodded. Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi straightened their backs.

"Today's drills will proceed as usual." Lin Chen withdrew his hand. "Zhao Tiegu, show them the patrol routes and passwords. Li Quezi, check the weaponry—bowstrings, arrowheads, blades—make sure nothing is missed. Lao Dao, you assist. Shuanzi, learn from them, observe and memorize."

"Yes!" the four responded.

After making the arrangements, Lin Chen was about to turn around and go to the sentry post to check in when several people came out of the barracks next door and blocked his way.

The leader was a burly man with a fierce face, none other than Wang Meng. Behind him followed Zhou Qing and several other soldiers of the second rank with equally unfriendly expressions.

"Hey, isn't this our newly promoted Corporal Lin?" Wang Meng crossed his arms, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Congratulations! You've only been here a few days and you've already become a corps leader. You're really... a promising young man."

The sarcasm in his words was undisguised.

Lin Chen stopped, his expression calm: "Sergeant Wang, is something the matter?"

"It's nothing, just came to say hello." Wang Meng stepped forward, almost touching Lin Chen, and lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear, "Kid, don't think you're safe just because you've hooked up with Zhang Heng. This patrol camp is a deep rabbit hole. Be careful... don't drown."

Lin Chen looked up and met his gaze: "No need for Corporal Wang to trouble himself."

Wang Meng snorted coldly, took a step back, and raised his voice again: "By the way, I heard that Corporal Lin is quite skilled, slaying three Shadow Claw Demons last night? Perfect timing, we brothers are itching for a fight during the training ground today, and we'd like to 'spar' with Corporal Lin and get some pointers, what do you say?"

Military drills on the parade ground were part of the border troops' daily training, often involving friendly competition, but only to a limited extent. Wang Meng's suggestion at this moment was clearly ill-intentioned.

"Sergeant Wang is too kind. I am new here and need to learn from the veterans." Lin Chen did not take the bait.

"Hey, Corporal Lin is too modest," Zhou Qing said sarcastically from the side. "A tough guy who can leap over walls and slay demons, instructing us roughnecks would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? Could it be... that he looks down on us, the brothers of Class 2, Unit 1?"

Upon hearing this, the men behind Wang Meng immediately raised their voices in protest, and more and more soldiers from other barracks gathered to watch the spectacle.

Lin Chen knew that this fight was unavoidable. Retreating would not only damage his newly established authority but also cause his subordinates to look down on him.

"Since Sergeant Wang is so hospitable," Lin Chen said slowly, "then let's follow military rules and have a friendly spar. May I ask which brother Sergeant Wang will send to instruct us?"

A smug glint flashed in Wang Meng's eyes, and he winked at someone behind him.

A muscular man with a scar on his face stepped out. He was half a head taller than Lin Chen, with bulging muscles in his arms and a steady aura, clearly a cultivator at the sixth level of the Acquired Realm.

"This is Zhao Xiong, the squad leader of our Second Squad," Wang Meng introduced, emphasizing the word "squad leader," as his rank was one level higher than Lin Chen's squad leader.

"Squad Leader Zhao practices the military's 'Breaking Formation Fist,' which is very powerful. Corporal Lin, you'd better be careful."

The sixth level of the Acquired Realm versus the fourth level of the Acquired Realm (Lin Chen's publicly displayed cultivation level), and the opponent's fist technique, which emphasizes strength, clearly intended to overwhelm the opponent with brute force, and even take the opportunity to severely injure Lin Chen.

A clearing was quickly cleared in the center of the drill ground.

The soldiers of the patrol battalion surrounded the area three or four deep, and even some officers rushed over upon hearing the news to watch from the outside. Zhang Heng and Captain Wu were among them. Zhang Heng's expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, while Captain Wu's brows were slightly furrowed.

In the arena, Zhao Xiong removed his leather armor, leaving him in only a single layer of clothing. He cracked his knuckles as he moved his wrists and ankles. He stared at Lin Chen and grinned, saying, "Sergeant Lin, fists and feet have no eyes. If you can't control your strength later, please forgive me."

Lin Chen also removed his leather armor, revealing the soft armor made of stone underneath. Holding his waist knife, he calmly said, "Squad Leader Zhao, please."

"You don't use your fists and feet?" Zhao Xiong frowned.

"I prefer a knife," Lin Chen replied. It's common for soldiers to spar with weapons, especially since the patrol battalion already has training with swords, shields, bows, and crossbows.

"Alright!" Zhao Xiong didn't say much, he shouted and suddenly pushed off the ground, charging forward like a bull! Before his fist arrived, the fierce wind of the punch was already hitting him!

Breaking Formation Fist - Charge Stance!

Simple, direct, crushing with power and speed!

Lin Chen did not take the punch head-on. Instead, he lightly stepped out with the "Wolf Gaze Step," and his body drifted half a foot to the side and back like a willow catkin, narrowly avoiding the punch.

Zhao Xiong's punch missed, but without hesitation, he twisted his waist and turned around, sweeping his second punch to block Lin Chen's retreat! The punches were continuous, indeed reminiscent of breaking through enemy lines on a battlefield!